Cover Image: Peaceful on Purpose

Peaceful on Purpose

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Member Reviews

What an absolute blessing this book was ! Very highly recommended ! Will definitely be gifting this title ! Empowering as always, Joel's writing inspires !

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Joel Osteen does it again. This is a book for anyone looking to recenter their life with peace and purpose. Osteen helps readers see that they can function under pressure all while living in peace. It is possible to be happy and experience the joy of peaceful abundance the Lord wants for each of us. Highly recommend reading this book.

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Joel writes like he speaks. The book has a zillion good nuggets but moves so fast from one one liner to the next that its hard to grab hold of any one thing and. It's hard to remember what the last paragraph was you read. He retells stories as he does in his sermon and also uses third person language.

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Joel Osteen comes through with another timely dose of encouragement. There’s nothing new here, but this book is filled with helpful reminders that peace is possible even in the wildest circumstances. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

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I can still remember the first time I saw Joel Osteen speak and how afterwards I had a smile on my face, I felt happy, at peace and I looked forward to listening to him again. I have enjoyed every book I have read by him and this book was no different. This book is a good reminder of why we should not live with worry and fear and why we should seek out peace for a healthier and happier life. Highly recommend!

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Peaceful on Purpose is a great book about how God takes care of us during the worst of times. And, in this age of COVID, I think we all need to remember that God is in control. Personally, my life is in flux, everything is changing and I feel like I'm drowning sometimes. But, this book has lightened my attitude, I needed a reminder that I'm not in this alone, God is with me!

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Full disclosure: I'm not a Joel Osteen fan or a fan of "superchurches" in general. I was interested in this book because I was interested in "secrets of a stress-free and productive life" anyway. I'm willing to take good advice from anyone who offers it. I suspect that fans of Osteen will love it, but I didn't find anything useful in it. It's a very short book with central themes that are repeated over and over. The main one is "all is well" no matter how awful things seem, and that everything is part of God's plan. Osteen uses the example of the mother whose only child died but she kept telling people "all is well" and after praying with Elisha he was brought back to life because she never doubted he would be. He also says that if things don't turn out or someone dies, that was always part of God's plan anyway. Another central theme is to "take a seat" with the basic idea being if you're too much in charge of your own life then God won't be.

One of the biggest issues I had with the book was the lack of action recommended. Osteen gives an analogy early on that life's problems are weeds and he says that he has learned that weeds always pop up before the harvest. Then he says he tells people not to harvest (or pull) the weeds and leave that to God. As a gardener, I just couldn't get past what terrible advice this is for weeds. As someone who has done a lot to make a beautiful life in spite of some big tragedies, I couldn't see this as good advice for problems for dealing with problems either. It reminds me of the man whose house is flooded and every time a boat shows up to rescue him he says "no thanks, God will take care of me" and then when he dies and asks God why he didn't help him, God says "I kept sending you boats." Pull the weeds, treat the cancer, make good changes. Sure, pray and have faith, but also get in the boat.

I can see how this would be a very reassuring book for many people. It is nice to think that you don't need to do anything but continue to be a good person and have faith. It wasn't a great fit for me. If you are an Osteen fan and just want someone to reassure you that everything is going to be okay, this will be a great book.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

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Peaceful on Purpose: The Power to Remain Calm, Strong, and Confident in Every Season by Joel Osteen
Publisher: FaithWords
Genre: Christian
Release Date: May 18, 2021

Peaceful on Purpose: The Power to Remain Calm, Strong, and Confident in Every Season by Joel Osteen is the book I needed today!

First off, I love how when I read a Joel Osteen book, I can hear him reading it to me. His writing style is so familiar and comforting.

Second, the timing of this book is incredible! I read this book on the day my water came back on after 4 days without (& 3 days without power), due to the crazy Texas snow-pocalypse. Also, tomorrow I'm hopping on a plane to go home for surgery. To say, my stress level has been pretty high would be an understatement. This book served as an incredible reminder that 'All is well' and to preserve my peace.

This book is filled with such great advice. I laughed at parts ("Hello, weed."), I felt nudges at parts that I was really supposed to listen to, and when I finished reading it, I felt lighter.

I'm so grateful to Joel Osteen, FaithWords, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

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